I’m fortunate enough to be taking an amazing course in Economics with Dr. M. N. Browne (author of- among countless other publications- Asking the Right Questions). I’ve been scribbling notes furiously in class, but I thought I’d put them up here as well so I can reference them more easily in the future.

I want to clarify that I have not studied Economics extensively, and I am simply putting forth my current comprehension of what was said in my class.

As I have come to understand, Economics assumes that the following is a generalization of human nature:

Humans are

1. Myopic (make decisions based on immediate benefits- do not see into the long term)
2. Egoistic / selfish
3. Insecure / in search of external acceptance
4. Affiliative / desire to associate themselves to a group (which can be used to combat egoism)
5. Inert / lazy without stimulus or incentive
6. Rational/ Cold and Calculating
7. Aquisitive (People want STUFF- and everything is stuff)

Apparently, the above generalizations are held tight and sacred by Economists… Whether they are true or not is temporarily beside the point. To understand how Economists think, the description of human nature listed above must be accepted (or at least humored).

With the Economics view of human nature in mind, the following describes the world as seen by Econ:

1) There are Limits-

• SCARCITY * is the gap between human wants and finite resources. (It is important to note here that Economists believe human wants NEVER SUBSIDE- the thirst for STUFF is unquenchable; and without this assumption the field of Economics would make no sense).
• Because there is Scarcity, there is always a cost to an action (Trade-offs).

2) Conflict is inevitable-

• Because there is Scarcity AND because human wants are endless, there will be clashes of interest and inequality. Economics is said to be a “dismal discipline” because it is the study of finding who we will say “NO” to.

3) Economics becomes a study of Conflict Resolution-

• Overwhelmingly, Economists point to THE MARKET to solve these conflicts.
• Political Power is another means utilized to resolve Econ conflicts.

Here is an illustration of conflict, political power, scarcity and human wants in action (all in 8 seconds):

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bkhtgjt_VYc" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

*The term Scarcity, as used in Economics, can never refer to something specific (ie: You cannot say “There is a scarcity of good boots”). Scarcity refers only to the abstract limit to all things.

To be continued…

Last year I came across quite a gem of a little book in one of my classes. The book is called Stories of Mr. Keuner and is written by the German author Bertolt Brecht. Over the course of his life (1898-1956), Brecht wrote numerous plays- many of which are very well known (Joan of Arc, Don Juan). If you haven’t read any of his plays you may want want to take a peek, but it is Stories of Mr. Keuner that has particularly caught my attention for this post.

Stories of Mr. Keuner is not a play like the majority of Brecht’s work, but a collection of short stories. I am a particularly fond of short stories myself because of their tendency to communicate some idea in a very quick, direct and creative manner (much like the goal of an animated short film). The result of a good short story, for me, is usually a very memorable and potent vessel of the presented idea. Brecht’s short stories are a very good example of concise and catchy communication in practice. The book takes the form of written accounts about a fictitious man named “Mr. Keuner” (who is referred to as “Mr. K”). Here is one of them:

“Meeting again

A man who had not seen Mr. K. for a long time greeted him with the words: ‘You haven’t changed a bit.’ ‘Oh!’ said Mr. K. and turned pale.”

The idea presented here is, as I interpret it, the necessity to undergo growth and change. Brecht’s stories are quite short, ranging from a sentence to maybe a page or two. Some are clearer than others, but overall I find the stories very pointed and very tidy. And there is something to be said of having a nice short story to illustrate an idea you like. Knowing short stories certainly does not replace studying, but it makes for very useful conversational and argumentative bumper stickers.

Here are a few more of my favorite Brecht short stories:

“An aristocratic stance

Mr. Keuner said: ‘I, too, once adopted an aristocratic stance (you know: erect, upright, and proud, head thrown back). I was standing in rising water at the time. I adopted this posture when it rose to my chin.’ “

“The question of whether there is a God

A man asked Mr. K. whether there is a God. Mr. K. said: ‘I advise you to consider whether, depending on the answer, your behavior would change. If it would not change, then we can drop the question. If it would change, then I can at least be of help to the extent that I can say, you have already decided: you need a God.’ “

“The indispensable civil servant

Mr. K. heard a civil servant, who had held his post for quite a long time, praised as being indispensable, since he was such a good civil servant. ‘Why is he indispensable?’ asked Mr. K. in annoyance. ‘The department would grind to a halt without him,’ said his eulogists. ‘How can he be a good civil servant if the department would grind to a halt without him?’ said Mr. K. ‘He’s had time enough to organize his department to make himself dispensable. What is he really engaged in? I’ll tell you: blackmail!’ “

**This next one should be emblazoned upon the desktop of any computer used to make a short film:

“Organization

Mr. K. once said: ‘The thinking man does not use one light too many, one piece of bread too many, one idea too many.’ “

Pick up the book if you like these, there are tons of little stories in it.
-Tom